Editorials: An Achievable Dream, flying PHF and scientists on trial

A weekly roundup of short opinions offered by the Daily Press Editorial Board

October 25, 2012

A dream turns 20

Twenty years ago, businessman Walter Segaloff was wrestling with how he could help address the cycle of poverty and crime in Newport News. He knew it had to begin with the children.

In 1992 he founded An Achievable Dream as a summer and after-school tennis and tutoring program for fourth graders. Today it is a fully functioning public school serving students from kindergarten through high school.

Although academic fundamentals are important, the school provides much more than the three Rs. Conflict resolution, healthy living and ethics are key elements of the curriculum. And of course, everyone plays tennis. For the second year in a row, 100 percent of the school's high school students graduated.

Community support is essential to sustaining the success of An Achievable Dream. Saturday evening's Tennis Ball is the most important fundraiser of the year for the school. For tickets and information, visit achivevabledream.org.

Congratulations to all of the students who have achieved their dreams at this amazing school over the past two decades, and a special salute to Mr. Segaloff for all he has done to make it possible.

Don't worry; fly happy

When Southwest Airlines gobbled up AirTran and pulled its popular service from Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport, we argued on these pages that Peninsula residents would be better served in the long run if they supported airlines that still fly here, even if it costs a few dollars more.

So when duty called a member of our editorial board to a meeting in Los Angeles last week, we booked a flight out of PHF on Frontier Airlines. The fare for upgraded seating in their "Stretch" zones was cheaper than offerings from Norfolk or Richmond airports on the legacy carriers — and included a free adult beverage. For a business traveler on the run the convenience of flying from Newport News was unmatched:

•We were able to complete nearly a full day's work before making a quick drive from our offices on Warwick Boulevard to the airport to catch our 5:46 p.m. flight. We made reasonable time up Jefferson Avenue at a time when rush hour normally renders I-64 Westbound and the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel nearly impassable. Finding a parking spot in the garage was a breeze, and the line through security took mere minutes to navigate.

•The Denver connection for a West Coast destination was perfect. All the connecting gates were nearby, and there were plenty of establishments offering everything from dining and libations to fast food and shopping. Most important for us, the planes were new and clean, and all our flights arrived early.

So we feel qualified to recommend once again that when air travel beckons, please give your business to airlines that serve the Peninsula.

Science on trial

On Monday, an Italian court ruled that scientists who failed to predict the severity of a 2009 earthquake were guilty of manslaughter. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 300 people in L'Aquila in the mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy.

The verdict stunned the international science community. The outrage! Criminalizing seismologists for their opinions is akin to charging Galileo with heresy for theorizing the sun, not Earth, was the center of the "universe."

Imagine if the United States were to adopt such a theory of liability. Meteorologists would go running for the hills. Insurance companies would jump in and create a new product: malpractice insurance for weather forecasters. And with fewer people taking on the legal risks of a career based on predictions, there might not be anyone around to tell us that a Hurricane Sandy is creeping up the coast.

Fortunately, the U.S. legal system is kinder to scientists — even those who study climate change theories — and the American people are much more forgiving of meteorological mistakes.

CHEW ON THIS: Who owns your e-books? Not you, in all likelihood. Most e-books are sold as licenses only, with transfers and re-sales prohibited. The used bookstores of today may be the museums of tomorrow.